OSLO, Norway (Reuters) -- Smokers stubbed out cigarettes across Norway at midnight as the Nordic nation followed Ireland on Tuesday to become the second in the world to outlaw smoking in all bars and restaurants.

Banning smoking in public places is done at the state and local level. And many states and cities have put laws on the books banning smoking in public places. One of the most surprising bans now on the books is in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky is one
of the largest tobacco producing states in the U.S. and its low taxes on tobacco products reflect this. I was surprised to read that smoking is now banned in public places in Lexington.

My opinion on this is that smoking should be banned in all public places. Smokers like to throw the "I have a right to smoke" phrase around a lot. You may have that right but you don't have the right to polute the air that I breath. If you insist on smoking,
go somewhere where I don't have to breath it or smell it.

Microsoft hasn't allowed smoking in it's building since about 1987ish.

True story: When we moved to this campus back in 1986, Greg Tibbetts was the only person in the Windows team who smoked. So we set up a custom air filtering system for his office to allow him to smoke in the office.

And then about 6 months after we moved into the building, the corporate smoking policy was changed to prohibit smoking inside the buildings, so it was wasted.

I later had that office, the AC was horribly noisy.

Nowadays, smokers are forced to be more than 20 feet from any entrance to the building. Most go to the parking garage of my building (across the driveway) or into a outdoor lounge-like area outside one of the entrances.

I'm from Illinois. When we were just out in San Diego California at Tech-Ed... it was almost eerie to be sitting in a loud bar and realizing that there was no smoke in there. I personally don't mind the smoke, but it just gave me this feeling that everything
was not as it seemed.

Like the aliens had gotten most of the details right in recreating life, but left one thing ou.

I think my right to live and breathe clean air overrides a smoker's right to smoke..

smoking is a choice... living and breathing is a smarter, greater choice..

I hear and respect your opinion. Please don't take any of the below as an attack. Personally (and contrary to what my comment would seem to indicate), I don't smoke. I think it's a fairly disgusting habit, and frankly, my lungs can't hack it (insert rimshot).
Although cloves smell so nice...

I also think that in public buildings, where people have to go, smoking should be banned outright-- say, the DMV and your local goverment offices, any place where an individual HAS to go. I also think that it should be banned in "large" places of business,
like office buildings. (I believe that California has it set up such that a small business can allow smoking if a certain percentage of the employees agree to it, and I think that makes some sence.)

However, I don't think that people should be banned from smoking everywhere. Idealy, you'd have a situation where a resteraunt (for example) can declare itself a smoking establishment, in which the patrons and employees acknowledge the risks involved. People
who don't like smoke shouldn't go there-- there are sufficient other resteraunts to go to.

That, of course, doesn't always work. I mean, how do you decide when there are "sufficient" other choices-- is there another comparable steakhouse in town? And if there is, what happens if the other steakhouse closes, and only the smoking or non-smoking remains?
So that option is a little too difficult to manage.

Along the same lines, I think that smoking in public outdoor places should not be banned. Is there anything that prevents someone from moving away from a smoker? Why should someone who chooses to smoke be put out more than someone who chooses not to when
the option to move is freely available to both? I personally think that homeless people tend to smell bad, should we kick them out of public areas?

And lastly, what exactly makes not smoking a "smarter, greater choice"? Did you know that smokers have far lesser occurences of carpal tunnel syndrome? Why? Because they get up and away from the keyboard on a regular basis! One might argue that drinking
is a bad habit, but many Italian folks have a glass of wine with dinner every day of their lives. What if the smoking habit is in moderation?

And finally, what if the smoker wants to keep his/her apartment clean, so he/she goes outside to smoke? If smoking in the public outdoors is banned, then there is no option left.

...
Nowadays, smokers are forced to be more than 20 feet from any entrance to the building. Most go to the parking garage of my building (across the driveway) or into a outdoor lounge-like area outside one of the entrances.

I see a diffrence in cars and a public smoking. Besides if your a smoker SKG you can just shove a car muffler down your throat and smoke all you want.

Smokers make me sick so now whenever I pass a smoker in a public place I turn right towards them and let out a lould wet cough. This way they have to think about not breathing my cough like I don't want to breth in their stink.

Smokers make me sick so now whenever I pass a smoker in a public place I turn right towards them and let out a lould wet cough. This way they have to think about not breathing my cough like I don't want to breth in their stink.

More likely they'll think you're a jerk. Just like a smoker who exhales right into your face is a jerk. But lemme ask you-- do you cough in the face of
every smoker, or just the ones that breathe at you?

Here's an idea: let's round up all us non-smokers and put us together on an island to die. You and I can have our clean air and not be bothered by the rest of the world.

I am sorry that your grandpa died of lung cancer. That's a really horrible way to go. Mine died of asbestos-related cancer. But today's smokers and asbestos workers are more aware of the consequences than yesterdays, and know what kind of hell they're getting
themselves into. Some smokers stop, some don't. Your knee-jerk reaction doesn't help.

Smokers make me sick so now whenever I pass a smoker in a public place I turn right towards them and let out a lould wet cough. This way they have to think about not breathing my cough like I don't want to breth in their stink.

I once had a person do exactly as you described to me at a bar. I then in turn spit on him.

I cannot believe the amount of 'holier than thou' that goes on on these tech talk forums. I mean in what way do your rights outway any others?

I cannot believe people make the argument that they have the right to drink themselves stupid and get in a car to drive home - but I cannot indulge in a smoke, cause I am killing everyone in the room.

Wow I don't remember promoting drunk driving? BUT I still stand firm that....

1. If you (A SMOKER) stinks up the air around me, causing me to breath your stinky A$$ smoke than you have what comes back at you.

2. Why should you have the right to stink up my personal space? If I was to walk up to you waiting outside a public building and cough a wet, WET cough or spray air fresher at your face wouldn't you think your space was being invated. Well when you smoke in
public and I smell it you are doing the same thing to me.

You said "I then in turn spit on him"

Then you would feel my right hook so fast it would make your head spin.

You said " I mean in what way do your rights outway any others?"

By you stinking up my air then you are doing that to me... what makes you so f'n special?

You said " but I cannot indulge in a smoke, cause I am killing everyone in the room."

Thats right.. in public you need to act in a way that doesn't interfear with the beathing of others..

Again how would you feel if I was to spray you in the face with some cheap purfume or air freshner? You know the type that makes it hard to breath when you suck ot in.

*** Bottom Line ***

Smoke all you want at home but DON'T DO IT IN PUBLIC, Don't interfear with other peoples personal space or air.